The guitar is one of the most enduring icons in American history. This exhibition looks at America’s evolution through the lens of its most popular instrument—an instrument that has been part of our cultural heritage since the country’s founding. The guitar has been a symbol for everything from generational differences to consumer marketing and fashionable relevance.

Each instrument featured provides insight into significant periods in American history and reveals intimate associations: European colonialism, the Great Migration, opening up of the West, the introduction of electricity to households, the Cold War, the appropriation of the Hawai’ian Islands, teenage rebellion, and the rise of videogames. Listen to the killer playlist and be on the lookout for guitars from local collectors that are unique to our exhibition. Curated and circulated by the National Guitar Museum.